I just notice today that my Carlsson front lip and rear add-on's color is kind of dull compares to the shinny black color of other part of the car. I called the body shop who painted them and they said the bumper use different paint than the body. Are they telling the truth or they used the wrong paint but won't admit it?? For any of you that have add-ons, is the color exactly then same as other part of the car? Thanks

 

Your shop is taking you for a ride.

There is absolutely no reason why your parts should not match exactly. Shops repair bumpers and get perfect matches all the time.

They don't know what they are doing, and they are just trying to get you to go away.

 

oh man~~ damn.... I was too excited when I first saw the body kit installed so I didn't look carefully.... should I go back to the shop and tell them to re-paint them?

 

Sounds to me the body shop is a bunch of idiots! Taking it back to them may **** them off and damage your vehicle! Be careful!

 

It should look seamless just like the original paint. Yes, the bumper covers and other plastic
materials are different materials than the doors/hood/fenders/trunk etc. but the paint color should be no different. If it takes a "different paint" then that's their responsibility to get it that way.

 

A "flex agent" is usually added to paint going on plastic bumpers and other "soft parts," but that does not affect the color of the paint.

On a new car, it should match perfectly, flex agent or not. Good body shops do it every day.

Heck, your car may have been partially repainted at the port, and you might not even know. Cars are damaged in transit and repaired at the port all the time. If only a bumper or door or something is repainted, most state laws don't require disclosure. Most states have disclosure laws, for example, if the damage is less than 3% of the MSRP of the vehicle to repair, it doesn't have to be disclosed.

That's why you should always ask for the vehicle history or damage report printout when you pick up the car. It will reveal, on a page or two, EVERYTHING that has been done to the car, before it reached the dealership, and when it was done. You often will be surprised at what you see.

 

It's my understanding that any damage that is done to a car before it reaches a dealer does not have to be disclosed, no matter how bad it is. A dealer has to tell you about damage that happens on the lot if it goes over a certain amount. But if the car is in the hands of the factory or in transit and has never been wholesaled to a dealer, they can fix anything needed and still sell the car without you knowing. In the extreme case, I would hope they wouldn't do this, but a car could even fall off a train or something and get serious damage, and they could have it rebuilt and sold.

 

From what I know about transit damage is that the vehicle has a limit to what is considered repairable before the vehicle is totaled. The company who is transporting the vehicle from point A to point B is responsible for the damage not the manufacture or dealership. I just in the past months saw a brand new Nissan Sentra with damage from the chains rubbing on it. It wore a hole in the pillars, windshield and into the interior of the car, It caused a lot of damage however the transport is responsible for the damage and the insurance will pay for it. When the dealership accepts a Benz it will go over the vehicle inch by inch to check for damages before it signs off on the vehicle. I have been witness (on several occasions) to Benz's being unloaded from a covered transport, they check for everything and it is time consuming.

 

See, just because you work for a dealer in some capacity (what do you do there?) doesn't mean you know everything, or that your information is accurate.

Ever heard of a case called Gore v. BMW?

Every state has disclosure laws for cars that are damaged before they arrive at the dealer. When you buy a new car, you are expected to get a new car, that has not been significantly repaired. For a mfr to sell a significantly repaired car to the dealer, and for the dealer to pass it on to the public, without any disclosure, is called "fraud."

I know this to be fact.

So, in relation to our last thread, now you see what I mean. You are *not* MB, and your information isn't always correct. Doesn't mean you are lying, just misinformed or you misunderstood something.

What *do* you do at the dealership you work at?

 

I am the person who checks the vehicles at my dealership when they come off the truck. Damage is not very common, but it does happen. I don't have to be as thorough as you would think. Anything covered by the white tape and found later can still be reported. If there were more cases of damage, I am sure I would be more thorough. But as long as you know the usual places to check, it only requires a quick walkaround.

The difference here is that when the cars are on a truck to a dealer, they have already been wholesaled to a dealer, so different rules apply. But shipping damages say from the factory to a ship seem to be the ones that can be fixed without you knowing.

 

If you read the first part of my post, it says "It is my understanding". I don't know this to be the law, but it is what I have heard from people higher up in the company who have experience with this. I don't know or claim to know all the specifics.

I am mostly just the lot tech, but I do a lot of other stuff too. Since I am one of the people they believe and trust most, I am put in charge of a lot of other things, and I talk alot with the owner and sales managers and even MB reps. So I hear a lot of things. Some I consider to be from a good source, some not. This matter I am not positive about, but I still assure you that the C230 Sedan issue comes from a good source.

 

See, your "understanding" can be (and in this case, is) incorrect.

Also, what you "think you heard" from your higher-ups, and relay here, can be incorrect.

My only point is that you have perfectly illustrated why I don't automatically accept second hand information from sources of unknown reliability on the Internet.

Lots of others, do. For instance, had I not corrected you, most here would have now gone forwarded confident that no shipping damage has to be reported to them, based on your post alone.

 

I think the issue here is still where the damage occurs. I know there are laws about damage in certain places, such as at the dealer or on the way to the dealer. But I am still not convinced of the fact the the factory cannot damage a car and then repair it and sell it without the customer knowing.

 

Sorry to disagree however the two (one in San Diego and the other in Tulsa) dealerships I worked as a sub contractor (for more than five years each) were very careful to check the automobiles that come into the dealership. They took pride in what they sold and would have several people check out the new vehicles and sign off the paperwork, if the car had a problem (related to transport) after the person who signed off would catch hell and could be fired. That is the difference between a good dealership and an excellent dealership.

Both of these dealerships were excellent when it comes to working on Benz the work bays were very clean and the cars were treated with respect no matter how old or new. I was really proud to be a sub contractor for both of the dealerships.

 

Now you seem to be changing the facts a little. I am, and have been, talking about damage that occurs during transit from the factory to the dealer. Usually on the boat. (As opposed to things that happen during the manufacturing process).

I've dealt with it in Arizona, but don't remember the exact statute. I've also dealt with it under California law, you can look on the Internet under California Vehicle Code section 9900 through around 9906 if you are interested.

All states have a similar law, you can probably do a search to cross-reference CVC 9900 to your state's own law, if you were interested.

 

I don't think we're in disagreement. I'm just saying that my experience is very different from yours. It's great that those two dealers do such a great job and you are proud of them. I wish that was the case at my dealer. There are so many things that could be better.

But when it comes to me personally, I find my inspection of the cars acceptable, even if it would not be to other people. If I was missing damage on a regular basis, something would need to be changed. But I think I have only missed one or two things out of thousands of cars that I have checked over. To do a more thorough inspection than what I currently do would require cleaning the car, because they are sometimes kinda dirty. I don't have the time for that, and to tell you the truth, I am the only person who cares to check over the cars besides management. When I am not there, that is when things usually get through.

Also, I have been told by one of the truck drivers that they are required to tell you if there is damage that they know about. Funny that only one driver ever bothered to tell me that. I doubt many of them follow this requirement.

 

That's okay. We can just leave it where it is. I'm sorry for offering some information that I had heard without first confirming it. I'm not an expert on the subject and I don't claim to be. But I also don't consider you an expert, and I am still not persuaded either way. I don't know what the real truth is, just offering my take on it. If some people choose to take this as fact, that is there problem. It's good that you don't, and that you question it. My only issue is that fact that you are always in disagreement, no matter what the subject. That makes people not want to listen to you. This has happened before with SoCal240, and it can happen again.

 

But, see, the difference is I've given you all the information you need to confirm it yourself. So you don't have to rely on what I'm saying. That you are not interested in learning facts is your choice.

 

I am never in disagreement with the truth. I only "disagree" to correct misstatements.

As someone here says, "misinformation verboten"!

 

My god, DO YOU HAVE TO POINT OUT EVERY TINY DETAIL THAT MIGHT POSSIBLY BE INCORRECT!

Its extremely annoying that every thread becomes some drawn out battle over who's right. The sad thing is that in many of these "battles" the person turns out to be correct anyway! Maybe the moderators have something to say about this...